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Over the past five years (2019~2023), the number of patients who received treatment for mental disorders increased by about 630,000. Schizophrenia decreased slightly and the number of inpatients fell, but depressive disorder increased sharply.
On the 6th, the National Center for Mental Health announced that it had published the 'National Mental Health Status Trends Report' on the 5th. Focusing on 48 statistical tables from the national statistics portal (KOSIS) on national mental health status, the report analyzes three areas: mental health prevention and early intervention, treatment of mental disorders, and mental health support systems.
According to the report, the number of 'patients who received care' (unique individuals) for mental disorders rose from about 2.05 million in 2019 to about 2.68 million in 2023, an increase of roughly 630,000. Outpatients increased by about 640,000 over the same period, from about 1.98 million to 2.62 million, while inpatients decreased by 20,000, from about 140,000 to 120,000. The rate of involuntary hospitalization rose from 32.1% in 2019 to 36.5% in 2023. The number of involuntarily hospitalized patients also increased over the same period from 20,616 to 20,312.
The outpatient visit rate within one month after discharge for patients with mental disorders fell by 1.6 percentage points, from 67.7% in 2019 to 66.1% in 2023. The proportion readmitted to the same hospital within one month after discharge declined by 2.5 percentage points, from 18.6% to 16.1%.
Regarding this, the report analyzed it as "This result reflects a change in patterns by diagnosis, with the number of patients with major depressive disorder who received care increasing significantly, while schizophrenia decreased slightly."
The beneficiary rate for community mental health promotion education fell from 4.9% in 2019 to 1.9% in 2020, but rose to 4.0% in 2023. As of 2023, the number of beneficiaries was tallied at about 2.07 million. Registrants for community mental health promotion projects increased by 7.4%, from 87,075 in 2019 to 93,513 in 2023.
Mental health-related institutions increased by 15.1% over the same period, from 2,562 to 2,949. Community mental health budget per person rose by 61.6%, from 5,389 won in 2019 to 8,710 won in 2023. The number of mental health-related workers also grew, with full-time staff per 100,000 population rising from 45.2 to 60.4.
The report can be found on the National Center for Mental Health Mental Health Program Department website (https://www.ncmh.go.kr/mentalhealth/main.do).
한글기사 원본(Original Korean Story)